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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24735019">Forgiveness &amp; Friendship</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dduucckk/pseuds/dduucckk'>dduucckk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Working Title: Summertime [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), but then The Prank happened, just a bit tho, remus and sirius used to date</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:14:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24735019</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dduucckk/pseuds/dduucckk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The summer after sixth year (and The Prank, you know which one. The one with Snape. And Remus.), Sirius shows up on James's doorstep.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Working Title: Summertime [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1788562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>157</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It all started in March. Well, really it all started in the last week of September, when James finally had enough of two of his friends obviously pining after each other and told them to go up to the dorm and not to come down until they had sorted everything out. (They came down to the common room an hour and a half later, cheeks flushed, lips swollen, holding hands. Grinning like a pair of fools.)</p><p>For the next six months, all was well. Sirius still took notes in the classes Remus missed during the full moon, but now he would draw hearts and write little messages in the margins. Remus still shared his chocolate with Sirius and only Sirius, but now he didn’t have to lie about why he always had Sirius’s favourite kind. They sat together in the big armchair by the fire, they held hands at every possible moment, and Sirius fell asleep in Remus’s bed more often than his own.</p><p>But the day of the full moon in March, they fought. It wasn’t a big fight, just both of them being stubborn and the moon having its usual effect on Remus. But it was enough for Sirius to storm out of the room for a few hours, and by the time James found him to make him go to the Shack, he had already done it. Told Snape.</p><p>James ran down to the willow, barely managed to save Snape, and himself, and Remus. That night was one of the worst Remus had ever had. It was two days before he woke up in the hospital wing, his friends by his side. James told him what happened, and the look on Remus’s face was enough for James to take Peter by the arm and drag him to stand by the doors to the hospital wing. Remus’s bed was behind a curtain, so they couldn’t see what was happening, but they could hear. They could hear Sirius’s voice, muffled, no doubt apologizing, trying to make it right. They could hear Remus’s voice, much louder, angry. They heard him tell Sirius that he had betrayed his trust, and how could he claim to love him and still do this and to leave, Sirius, just go. It’s over.</p><p>Sirius came out from behind the curtain, tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn’t even look at them as he left. As the door slammed behind him, they heard muffled, anguished sobs from Remus’s bed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you liked the first chapter! I have the whole fic written, and I'll be posting every two days while I work on the next part of the series.</p><p>My tumblr is dannikathewomanika, if you want to come say hi!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>James rolls over in bed for possibly the three hundredth time that night. He had kicked the blanket to the floor hours ago, and his window has been thrown wide open, but he <i>still can’t fucking sleep</i>. He groans in frustration and spreads his limbs out like a starfish in an attempt to stop them from sticking together with sweat and humidity. His fingertips touch the headboard. It’s so humid that they stick slightly when he moves them. “Ok, fuck this.” he finally decides. He pulls on a shirt over his boxers and carefully makes his way downstairs, checking the kitchen clock as he passes through. Three in the morning. James rolls his eyes. He opens the back door just enough for him to slip through, wincing when it creaks. He pauses for a second, listening intently. The house is silent. His parents are still asleep. He sighs in relief as he steps onto the porch, the cool night air washing over his skin. He sits down on the steps, looking out over the backyard. The June night is still and silent except for the slight breeze brushing the tips of the trees, making them rustle ever so slightly.</p>
<p>James isn’t sure how long he sits there, but by the time he gets up the sun is starting to brighten the horizon, and birds are chirping in the trees. He stands up, and is halfway up the stairs to his bedroom when he hears a pounding on the door. Wondering who in the world would be here at this time, he walks back downstairs and opens the door.</p>
<p>“Sirius?” He gasps.</p>
<p>Sirius tries to smile. It’s a haunting expression on his bruised and bloody face, and James knows he must look horrified, but he can’t help it.</p>
<p>“Sirius,” he says, “What happened to you?”</p>
<p>“I got kicked out again.” Sirius’s voice is rough, as though he’s been crying. “And I think it’s for good this time.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I really didn’t feel like writing long chapters for this fic so yeah, they’re all going to be this short.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Tw: there’s a brief mention of child abuse at the beginning of this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>James ushers Sirius inside, shaking badly enough that he needs to hold onto the door for support. This isn’t the first time that Sirius has come here when he gets into a fight with his parents, but it’s the first time he’s been hurt. James knows what Sirius’s parents are like, but they rarely use physical violence. They prefer shouting and spells.</p>
<p>“I’m, um. I’m going to wake up my parents. I’ll—I’ll be right back.”</p>
<p>James hurries upstairs, no longer worried about being quiet. He enters his parents room and wakes them up and explains as quickly as he can. Less than ten minutes later, all three of them are back downstairs, where Sirius is still standing in the hallway. Mrs Potter gasps when she sees him, and envelopes him in a hug, which he returns gratefully. She gets him into the living room, where he collapses onto the couch. Mr Potter fumbles around in his pyjamas, looking for his wand and when he finds it, he starts casting healing spells on Sirius’s face. Mrs Potter goes to the kitchen to make everyone something to eat, and James hovers anxiously, watching as his dad cleans the blood from Sirius’s face and he starts to be able to clearly see his friend’s exhaustion.</p>
<p>By the time Mr Potter is done, Mrs Potter has a plate of food for everyone, and Sirius eats ravenously. When the boys finish eating, James’s parents send the two of them upstairs to sleep. James has so many questions, but he knows that now is not the time to ask them. They climb into James’s bed and Sirius falls asleep almost instantly. James tries to follow, but his mind is spinning. What happened? Why did Sirius’s parents do this? And is he really kicked out for good? James hopes so. He knows that his parents will be reluctant to let Sirius go back to his family after this, but he doesn’t know if Sirius will want to stay here, or if he will insist on going home, as he has before. It takes several hours for James to calm down enough to sleep, but when his parents come in to check on the boys later that morning, both are fast asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sirius wakes up late in the afternoon, by which time James has already been up for hours. He spent most of the day sitting on his floor, trying not to die from the heat, and trying not to think about Sirius’s parents. When he hears his friend stir, he jumps up and is at his side immediately.</p>
<p>“Hey Pads.”</p>
<p>“Hey Prongs.”</p>
<p>“How are you feeling?”</p>
<p>“Better.”</p>
<p>James pauses for a moment, watching Sirius. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”</p>
<p>“I think it’s pretty fucking obvious,” Sirius grumbles.</p>
<p>“What led up to it?” James corrects.</p>
<p>“Don’t want to talk about it.” Sirius rolls over, facing away from James. James doesn’t push.</p>
<p>“Should I owl Wormy and Moony and tell them you’re here?”</p>
<p>“Not Moony.”</p>
<p>“Sirius…”</p>
<p>“<i>Not</i> Moony.”</p>
<p>“Sirius, you guys can’t be mad at each other forever.”</p>
<p>“M’not mad at him.” Sirius’s voice is muffled by the pillow.</p>
<p>“Then why don’t you want me to tell him? He’ll be furious if he finds out we didn’t. He cares about you, you know.”</p>
<p>Sirius turns back to James. “He hates me, James,” he growls. “He told me so himself. He won’t give a shit, so <i>don’t fucking write to him</i>!”</p>
<p>Sirius buries his face in the pillow again, and despite the heat, he pulls the blanket over himself. James stays seated on the bed for a few minutes, but when Sirius doesn’t move, he goes downstairs to find a quill and some parchment.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Pete,</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Sirius ran away. Got kicked out. Whichever you want to call it. He says it’s for good this time. I hope it is. Anyway, he’s at my place now. Showed up here in the middle of the night. He won’t talk about what happened, but he wasn’t in good shape. I’ll let you know more later, and I’ll ask him if he wants you to visit.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>James</b>
</p>
<p>James folds up the letter, puts it in an envelope, goes to tie it to the owl’s leg. Then he pauses, thinks for a second, takes out the letter and scribbles a quick postscript.</p>
<p>
  <b>PS: will you tell Remus? Sirius doesn’t want me to, and I don’t want to lie to him. But Remus needs to know.</b>
</p>
<p>He sends the letter and goes to his room to check on Sirius, who has fallen asleep again. He has rolled over onto his back, and James can see that his face is red and tear stained. He sighs. He shouldn’t have brought up Remus. Remus hasn’t spoken to Sirius in months, not since the Thing Happened. Not since Sirius betrayed him. And to Snape, of all people. James knows that Sirius has been miserable. He hasn’t exactly tried to hide it. He also knows that Remus has been miserable, but not because Remus told him. Remus doesn’t like talking about his feelings, and James knows that he can often let things build up until he reaches a breaking point. The problem is, no one is sure where that breaking point is.</p>
<p>James starts to wonder if anyone at all knows how Remus truly feels about the Thing That Happened. Then, he gets an idea.</p>
<p>He writes another letter, and hopes fervently that the recipient will actually read it, and not just throw it away when she sees who it’s from.</p>
<p>
  <b>Evans,</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>I promise I’m not writing to bother you, or ask you on a date, or any of that bullshit. I want to ask you about Remus.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>You guys are friends, right? He hasn’t been spending time with us the last few months, so he must be spending time with someone. And I saw you guys in the library together one time.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Do you know how he’s doing? In regard to the whole Sirius thing. Sirius says that Remus says that he hates him, but that can’t be true. I know it can’t. Remus hates a lot of things and a lot of people, but I know that Sirius could never ever be one of those. And I think Sirius needs him right now, even if he won’t admit it.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Please please write back?? Please?? It’s really important. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>James</b>
</p>
<p>On the envelope he writes, <b>Evans please for the love of Merlin open this, this is not a joke!!</b>, and hopes for the best.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Lily’s letter is underlined, Peter’s is underlined and in italics</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">Remus,</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">I just got the strangest letter from James. He asked how you feel about the Sirius thing. I don’t know why he’s asking me instead of you, but apparently Sirius is under the impression that you hate him, and James doesn’t think you do. He says it’s important. I don’t know why it’s important or why he needs to know now, but do you want me to answer?</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">Lily</span>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <span class="u">Remus,</span>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <span class="u">I just got a letter from James. Apparently Sirius has run away for good this time. He’s at James’s, but he doesn’t want James to tell you anything, so I’ve been told to pass the message on. I know you’re mad at him, but please, try to help. James says Sirius needs you. He’s probably right.</span>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <span class="u">Peter</span>
  </i>
</p><p>Remus paces his room, the letters lying on his desk. He breathes slow and deep, tries to sort through everything that he’s feeling.</p><p>Inhale. Anger. Hurt. Betrayal. But that’s normal these days, that’s what he feels whenever he so much as thinks about Sirius. Exhale.</p><p>Inhale. Beneath all that is worry. That’s new. <i>That</i> is a result of the letters he just read. Exhale.</p><p><i>Sirius needs me</i>, he thinks. He tries saying it out loud. “Sirius needs me.”</p><p>That stirs up even more emotions, ones he has spent months ignoring, shoving to the side, not allowing in his head. Emotions he doesn’t want to name. Inhale. Fondness. Tenderness. Affection. One more. He doesn’t want to think about it. Exhale.</p><p>He stops in front of his desk, looks at the letters one more time. He knows what he has to do. What he <i>wants</i> to do.</p><p>He sits down and writes what is possibly the shortest letter of his life.</p><p>
  <i>Lily,</i>
</p><p>
  <i>You don’t have to tell him. I will.</i>
</p><p>By the time the owl flies out the window, Remus is already packing his bag.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>James is not entirely surprised when Remus steps out of the fireplace later that evening. He brushes the soot off his shoulders, puts down his bag, looks at James and says, “Where is Sirius?”</p><p>James takes him upstairs to where Sirius is still in bed, his back to the door.</p><p>“Sirius,” James says, “Remus is here.”</p><p>Sirius doesn’t move.</p><p>“Sirius?” James takes another step into the room, Remus following close behind. Sirius rolls over slightly, and the boys see that he is sleeping.</p><p>“I’ll stay here with him.” Remus says. James nods.</p><p>“Are you hungry?” He asks.</p><p>“Yeah, a bit.”</p><p>“I’ll get you a sandwich or something. Some tea. Oh! I think we might have biscuits!”</p><p>Remus smiles as he sits down on the end of the bed. “Thanks, James.”</p><p>“No problem.” James heads to the kitchen.</p><p>He finds leftover chicken from supper and starts cutting it up while he waits for the kettle to boil. He knows Sirius will be angry with him when he wakes up, but James can’t help but be glad that Remus is here. Sirius is like a brother to James, and he knows that the feeling is mutual, but Remus has always been the one Sirius goes to for comfort. Moony is the only one who can properly calm him down, and James knows that Sirius will eventually be happy to have Remus here. Once he’s done being dramatic.</p><p>He finishes making the sandwich, pours the tea, and brings it up to his room. When he gets to the doorway he pauses. Sirius has woken up, and is staring at Remus in shock and disbelief. Remus has one hand resting on Sirius’s leg, and Sirius is clutching that hand so tightly his knuckles have turned white. Neither of them notice James. With a small smile, James tiptoes back down the hall, sits at the top of the stairs, and takes a bite of the sandwich.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sirius wakes up slowly. He can feel someone sitting on the bed by his feet. James, come to check on him.</p><p>“What time is it?” He mumbles, eyes still closed.</p><p>“Nine thirty. At night.” Says a voice that is decidedly not James’s. Sirius’s eyes fly open, and he sits up.</p><p>“Remus?” And it is Remus. Remus, sitting there looking just the same as he always does, with his curly brown hair and his worn out t-shirt. Sirius wants to hug him. He settles for just looking at him. “I told James not to write to you.”</p><p>“He didn’t.”</p><p>“Then how—”</p><p>“Peter told me. And Lily.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“Sirius—”</p><p>“Remus—”</p><p>They both laugh a bit. “You go first,” Remus says.</p><p>Sirius twists his hair around his fingers, not quite pulling it. He knows that Remus has heard this from him a million times, but he needs to say it again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn't have told Snape about everything. There’s no excuse. I’m so <i>so</i> sorry, Remus.”</p><p>Remus gives Sirius a small smile and places a hand on Sirius’s calf. “It’s—well, it’s not okay, but. It’s forgiven. I forgive you. I’ve missed you,” he adds, almost a whisper.</p><p>Sirius puts his hand over Remus’s and holds tight, trying to convince himself that this is real. That Remus forgives him. Remus turns his hand over and laces his fingers between Sirius’s, squeezing tightly. “It’s real,” he whispers. “I promise, it’s real.”</p><p>Sirius makes a noise somewhere between a sob and a laugh and launches himself at Remus, who catches him in a tight hug, burying his face in Sirius’s hair. Sirius holds him just as tightly, pressing his face into Remus’s neck to hide his tears. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Thank you so much, Moony.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They hug for several minutes, neither of them able to get enough of the other.</p><p>Finally, regretfully, Remus moves his hands to Sirius’s shoulders, pushing him away slightly so that they can look each other in the eye.</p><p>“Sirius,” he says, “I think I should tell you this right away.” He takes a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. “I’m ready to be friends with you again, but I’m not—I’m not ready to be your boyfriend again. I’ve thought about it, but I just can’t. Not now.”</p><p>A sad little smile forms on Sirius’s lips. “I know,” he says. “I wasn’t really expecting you to want to. It’s okay. Thank you for—for being willing to be friends.”</p><p>“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Remus says quickly. “But you hurt me, Sirius. You betrayed my trust. We’re all lucky to be alive after what happened, and it’s going to take some time before I feel like that trust has been rebuilt.”</p><p>Sirius swallows, hard. “I know, Moony. I know. I’m so, so sorry.”</p><p>“I know you’re sorry, Padfoot.”</p><p>It’s then that they hear a noise from the doorway. James is there, a tray in his hands with tea and sandwiches.</p><p>“Here you are, lads!” He says as he puts the tray on the desk. Sirius realizes that he is still in Remus’s lap, and he climbs off, blushing. James sits on the floor as his friends devour the sandwiches.</p><p>“I’ve written to Wormtail,” he says, “and to Lily.”</p><p>Sirius perks up at that. “You wrote to Lily? Moony, did you hear that or am I making things up? Is Prongs writing to Lily?”</p><p>“No, Padfoot, I heard it too, so either we’re both going mad, or Prongs wrote to Lily.”</p><p>“We must be going mad then, because Prongs would never write to Lily.”</p><p>“No, never. And if he did, he wouldn’t come off as sane.”</p><p>“Is he sane though, Moony?”</p><p>“Not even a little bit, Padfoot.”</p><p>James groans. “I should have let you two keep fighting. Yes, I wrote to Lily, yes I sounded sane, you guys can fuck off. She doesn’t hate me as much as she used to, you know. I would even say we’re friends.”</p><p>Remus and Sirius share a skeptical glance. “Uh-huh, whatever you say, James,” Remus says around a bite of his sandwich.</p><p>“Well you’ll be finding out for yourself soon enough, because both her and Peter are coming to visit tomorrow, and they’re staying for a month.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Wow, Prongs, how’d you convince her to do <i>that</i>?”</p><p>“Evans is going to have to put up with us for a month? I bet she’ll leave after a week.”</p><p>“Ok, you two can fuck right off, thanks very much. To answer your question, Remus, I asked her to and she said yes.”</p><p>“What, I don’t get an answer?”</p><p>“No, Sirius, your question was too stupid to deserve an answer.”</p><p>James and Remus laugh at Sirius’s pout, and Remus feels light as a feather. He still can’t quite believe that he’s here, next to Sirius, the two of them making fun of James as if nothing had happened.</p><p>He looks at Sirius to find the other boy already looking at him. Remus offers him a small smile, and looks back at his hands clutching his teacup. <i>I told him we wouldn’t date again, and I have to stick with that,</i> Remus tells himself firmly. He only looks back up when he’s sure that Sirius isn’t looking at him anymore. He takes in Sirius’s long dark hair, his sharp cheekbones, his elegant fingers. His beautiful grey eyes. His smile, bright and happy despite everything that has happened to him. <i>Fuck,</i> Remus thinks, <i>this is going to be harder than I expected.</i></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lily arrives on the Knight Bus early the next morning. James is already awake, although he has perhaps had one too many cups of coffee, and he shows her to one of the guest bedrooms.</p>
<p>“Where are they?” She asks.</p>
<p>“In my room, just down the hall.”</p>
<p>“So, are they ok?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, more or less.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean, more or less?”</p>
<p>“They’ve decided to be friends, but Remus says he doesn’t want to date again yet.”</p>
<p>“<i>Yet</i>?”</p>
<p>James grins. “My thoughts precisely.”</p>
<p>Lily puts her suitcase on the bed, then tiptoes out into the hallway to peer through James’s half open door. Remus and Sirius are asleep on his bed, facing each other. Tangled up in each other. Sirius’s head is nestled into the space between Remus’s collarbone and shoulder, his arms around Remus’s waist. Remus has one hand resting on Sirius’s hip and the other under Sirius’s head, his fingers in his hair as if he fell asleep stroking it.</p>
<p>Lily looks at James, making a face that James (correctly) interprets as something along the lines of “oh sweet Merlin look how adorable”. He had made the same face when he woke up that morning, and when he got out of bed, he was very careful not to wake them. He takes Lily’s arm and pulls her away from the bedroom door.</p>
<p>“Are you sure they didn’t get back together last night? After you went to sleep or something?”</p>
<p>“No, they were both asleep before me, and they did this even before they started dating. Sirius always said that the only way he can get back to sleep after nightmares is if Remus is there.”</p>
<p>Lily makes That Face again. “James,” she says, “we have to get them back together!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s several more hours before Remus and Sirius wake up, and James and Lily use that time to come up with a plan. Sort of.</p><p>“See, the thing is,” James explains, “the thing is that what Sirius did was horrible and I understand if Remus never wants to date him again.”</p><p>“Agreed,” says Lily, sitting cross legged on her bed, “we need to be prepared for them to decide to just stay friends.”</p><p>James leans forward in the armchair he has dragged over from the corner of the room. “And they love being friends, they really do.”</p><p>“But I’ve never seen either of them happier than they were when they were dating.” Lily finishes James’s thought.</p><p>“Exactly.” They grin at each other. James realizes suddenly that this is probably the longest conversation the two of them have had, because despite what he told his friends, he was very surprised when Lily said she’d come.</p><p>He’s staring at her, he thinks vaguely, but for once she is staring back and James can’t tear his eyes away. Lily leans forward a little bit, tucking a few strands of bright hair behind her ear, and James is sure that whatever she is about to say is incredibly important. Just as she opens her mouth to speak, they hear a small knock on the door. James looks up and sees Remus, a smirk on his face, standing in the doorway. James glares at him. Remus rolls his eyes as he walks into the room and takes a seat on the floor. James desperately wants to flip him off, but he’s not sure anymore if the moment with Lily really meant anything or if he had misread the whole situation, so he sighs and sits back in the chair, and changes the subject.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There’s a very brief mention of child abuse in this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Remus wakes up that morning to find James already gone, and Sirius nestled into Remus’s chest. Remus smiles down at his boyfri—no. Not his boyfriend. His <i>friend</i>. That’s all they are now, he reminds himself. And he’s grateful to have it. But that doesn’t stop him from letting Sirius sleep for a few more minutes, because Remus wants any excuse to hug him right now, and this is always such a nice way to wake up. Unable to resist, he presses a soft kiss to the top of Sirius’s head.</p>
<p>“Pads,” he whispers. “Wake up.” He almost adds “my love”, the way he used to, but stops himself just in time.</p>
<p>Sirius sighs and presses his face closer against Remus’s shoulder. “Mmm. No.”</p>
<p>Remus smiles. He had almost forgotten how adorable Sirius is when he wakes up. He gently moves away, and Sirius groans and tries to shuffle closer, his eyes still closed.</p>
<p>Remus speaks a bit louder this time. “Pads, I think it’s time to get up. James is already gone.”</p>
<p>Sirius’s eyes flutter open and he smiles sleepily. Then, he seems to remember what they decided on last night, and he quickly disentangles himself from Remus and sits up, rubbing his eyes. “Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to, um, do that.”</p>
<p>Remus takes a wild guess and decides that Sirius is referring to the cuddling. “It’s fine, Sirius, don’t worry about it.”</p>
<p>Sirius shrugs. “I’m sorry anyway,” he says.</p>
<p>Neither of them says anything for several minutes. Finally, Remus asks, “What happened? With your family, I mean.”</p>
<p>Sirius laughs, but it’s hollow and humourless. “They kicked me out.”</p>
<p>“I fucking know that Sirius, what I’m asking is why.”</p>
<p>“Did they need a reason?”</p>
<p>“They must have had one!”</p>
<p>Sirius sighs. “Remember months back when Reg caught us snogging in the hallway?”</p>
<p>“Yeah…”</p>
<p>“I thought he would tell our parents right away, but he didn’t. And then I thought maybe he wouldn’t tell them at all, but apparently he was just waiting for the right moment, and he decided that a few days ago at supper time was the right moment.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Oh my god.”</p>
<p>“Yeah. You can imagine how well that went. I’m a disgrace to the family, I’ve tainted the bloodline, all that. Mum made me watch when she burned my name off the tapestry. Dad—well. Did James tell you the state I showed up in?”</p>
<p>Remus nods.</p>
<p>“He did that.”</p>
<p>Remus pulls Sirius in for a hug. “I’m so, so sorry, Sirius. I wish I could have been there.”</p>
<p>“You’re here now,” Sirius whispers. “Even though we were fighting, you’re here now.” He pulls back and wipes his eyes. “So thank you.”</p>
<p>Remus hugs him again. “I should have been here for you before, Padfoot. But I’m glad I’m here now.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That’s the end of this fic! I hope you guys liked it, and thank you so so much for reading, and for leaving comments and kudos 💖</p>
<p>Part two in this series is written and all ready to go, so I’ll be posting the first chapter on July 11 (in 2 days), and I’ll keep updating it every two days!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My Tumblr is <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dduucckk">dduucckk</a> if you want to drop in and say hi!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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